Harry Potter transformed Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure into the fastest-growing big theme park in the world in 2010, according to closely watched industry report released Thursday, even as the boy wizard peeled visitors away from Central Florida's other theme parks.
Estimated attendance at Islands of Adventure ballooned 30.2 percent for the year— from fewer than 4.6 million visitors to more than 5.9 million — as huge crowds descended on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the $265 million themed area that opened in Islands exactly one year ago.
Universal Orlando's original theme park, Universal Studios Florida, was benefitted from the crowds drawn by Potter. Attendance there jumped 6.1 percent, also to 5.9 million.
Walt Disney Growth at Universal Orlando's two parks far outstripped the rest of the theme-park industry. Attendance at the top 25 theme parks in the world inched by an average of 1.8 percent each — to a combined total of 189.1 million — according to the report, released jointly Thursday by AECOM, a Los Angeles consulting firm, and the Themed Entertainment Association.
"We are incredibly grateful for the support and enthusiasm our guests have shown for everything Universal Orlando has to offer," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said in response to the report. "We are also grateful for our team members, who have worked so hard to make sure our guests have an amazing experience while they visit us."
The attendance figures contained in the report are estimates, as the all of the big theme-park operators closely guard precise totals. But in the absence of official figures, the AECOM/TEA report is widely used as the most reliable gauge of individual park attendance.
Even as Universal Orlando drew big crowds, the annual report found that Orlando's other big parks lost ground. Attendance slipped slightly at Walt Disney World and significantly at SeaWorld Orlando.
Disney's Magic Kingdom retained its title as the busiest park in the world, with just under 17 million visitors for the year. But that was down 1.5 percent from 2009, according to the estimates.
Attendance also slipped 1.5 percent at Epcot and 1 percent at Disney's Hollywood Studios. But attendance rose 1 percent at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
SeaWorld Orlando suffered the deepest drop among the world's biggest theme parks, as attendance sank 12.1 percent to 5.1 million. The park was beset by a host of headwinds in 2010, including a lack of new attractions, stiff competition from Universal's Wizarding World, a still-soft economy and negative publicity following the death of killer-whale trainer Dawn Brancheau.
The impact of the February 2010 tragedy rippled beyond Orlando, as well, as estimated attendance at SeaWorld San Diego also sank 9.5 percent.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment's other big Florida park, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, fared better, as attendance rose 2.4 percent.
Both Disney and SeaWorld declined to discuss the attendance estimates. Executives at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, which operates 10 theme parks and water parks around the U.S., have said recently that attendance is rebounding this year and rose 7 percent chain-wide by 7 percent during the first quarter.
Universal's Orlando wasn't the only theme park to have a big 2010. Attendance also soared at Universal Studios Hollywood in California, rising 26 percent to 5 million, at least in part to the popularity of a new King Kong attraction.
And Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., had a better year than its East Coast counterpart. Attendance inched up 0.5 percent — to a shade below 16 million — at the resort's namesake park — and climbed 3 percent — to 6.3 million — at Disney California Adventure. The popularity of Disneyland's second gate is growing amid a billion-dollar overhaul that included the opening of the World of Color water-and-lights show last summer.
